The Murmurs: The most compulsive, chilling gothic thriller you'll read this year...

A young woman starts experiencing terrifying premonitions of people dying, as it becomes clear that a family curse known only as The Murmurs has begun, and a long-forgotten crime is about to be unearthed... `His biggest smash hit yet, an assured paranormal thriller in which the paranormal isn't even the scariest part ... A tale that leaves our interest piqued throughout, with the tension and foreboding reaching fever pitch´ Herald Scotland `A tense, creepy page-turner´ Ian Rankin `A master storyteller at the very top of his game, Michael J. Malone weaves the most exquisite tale ... mesmeric and suspenseful´ Marion Todd ________________ In the beginning there was fear. White-hot, nerve-shredding fear. Terrifying premonitions of deaths. And then they started... The Murmurs... On the first morning of her new job at Heartfield House, a care home for the elderly, Annie Jackson wakens from a terrifying dream. And when she arrives at the home, she knows that the first old man she meets is going to die. How she knows this is a terrifying mystery, but it is the start of horrifying premonitions ... a rekindling of the curse that has trickled through generations of women in her family - a wicked gift known only as 'the murmurs'... With its reappearance comes an old, forgotten fear that is about to grip Annie Jackson. And this time, it will never let go... A compulsive gothic thriller and a spellbinding supernatural mystery about secrets and small communities, about faith, courage and self-preservation, The Murmurs is a startling and compulsive read from one of Scotland's finest authors... ________________ `Poetic and beautifully crafted, this is a chilling and compelling read´ Caro Ramsay `A fine, atmospheric chiller couched in Malone's customary elegant prose´ Douglas Skelton Praise for Michael J Malone `A gothic ghost story and psychological thriller all rolled into one. Brilliantly creepy ... a spine-tingling treat´ Daily Record `Prepare to have your marrow well and truly chilled by this deeply creepy Scottish horror ... A complex and multi-layered story´ Sunday Mirror `A beautifully written tale, original, engrossing and scary... a dark joy´ The Times `A deeply satisfying read´ Sunday Times `A fine, page-turning thriller´ Daily Mail `Unsettling, multi-layered and expertly paced´ CultureFly

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns' country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. His psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and the critically acclaimed House of Spines, After He Died, In the Absence of Miracles and A Song of Isolation soon followed suit. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr.